Before this year’s Black History Month comes to end, let’s look at some pioneering and inspirational events of African American officers who have held key criminal justice positions and influenced progressive law enforcement activities.
A Brief Overview of the History of African Americans in Law Enforcement***
· 1867: The African-American police officers are appointed to the police department in Selma, Alabama; they would be followed in 1868 by officers in Jackson, Florida, and in 1870 by officers in Houston and Galveston, Texas.
· 1870: New Orleans, Louisiana has 177 African-American officers, and three of five police board members were African American.
· April 12, 1870: Officer William Johnson of Jacksonville, Florida becomes the first recognized African-American police officer killed in the line of duty.
· 1875: Bass Reeves is appointed as the first African-American Deputy U.S. Marshal.
· 1916: Georgia Ann Robinson becomes the first African-American woman police officer, serving in the Los Angeles Police Department.
· 1928: Dr. Louis Tompkins Wright is the first known African-American police surgeon. He would later become president of the NAACP Board of Directors.
· 1941: William B. Lindsay becomes the first known African-American state trooper, hired by the Illinois State Police.
· 1966: Sheriff Lucius Amerson is one for the first elected African-American sheriffs, serving in Macon County, Alabama.
· 1972: The National Black Police Association is chartered.
· 1976: The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executive (NOBLE) is founded.
· 1988: Willie L. Williams becomes one of the first African-American police commissioners. He serves in Philadelphia and would subsequently become the first African-American commissioner of the Los Angeles Police Department in 1992.
***(provided by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Museum)
While everyone in law enforcement makes a difference, in honor of Black History Month, I would like to provide you with short biographies of three African American law enforcement officers who have gone above and beyond their call to duty, and continue to serve as inspirations to all police officers.
1. Julius Boyd Loving: 1st African American LASD Deputy & Pioneer of Jail Penology
Julius Boyd Loving (1863-1938), was the first African American deputy in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He is also recognized as a pioneer in jail penology. Loving had been a Buffalo Soldier in the mid-1880’s. Hired by LASD in 1899, Loving was the first (and for a period of eleven years) only African American deputy on the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Loving spent much of his career improving life policies and programs in the penal system. He also is credited as being one of the driving forces behind the creation of the first jail store. He initiated 3 inmate craft programs; including the jail carpenter shop, shoe shop, and tailor shop. These shops were run by inmates and helped lower jail costs. He also invented a tote board that was used to maintain an accurate inmate count, a version of which is still in place in some jail modules today. In the early 1920’s Loving was head of the jail LASD programs, and thwarted two escape attempts. “Loving's career was marked by loyal and effective service, popularity among his fellow officers—and a racial "glass ceiling." His life measures the racial barriers and opportunities in early twentieth-century Los Angeles.” Historical Society of Southern California
2. Congresswoman Val Demings – First Black Police Chief of Orlando, FL
Congresswoman Val Demings currently represents Florida's 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Deming received a B.S. in Criminology from Florida State University in 1979. She began her career in Jacksonville as a social worker, working with foster children. She decided to attend the police academy in 1984, and graduated as class president and joined the Orlando Police Department. During her 27-year career in law enforcement, she served in virtually every department. Additionally, she served as the Commander of Special Operations, where she was responsible for some of Orlando’s highest profile tasks, including special events and dignitary protection. In 2007, Val Demings made history when she was appointed to serve as Orlando’s first female Chief of Police. Under her leadership, the Orlando Police Department reduced violent crime by more than 40 percent.
Chief Demings founded several innovative programs:
· Operation Positive Direction: a mentoring program for at-risk students.
· Operation Free Palms: a project focusing on rejuvenating Orlando's most crime-ridden housing complex.
She was the Democratic nominee in both 2012 and 2016 to represent Florida's 10th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. She was elected in 2016. Deming is an active member in the NAACP, Florida Bar Citizens Advisory Committee, Florida Police Chiefs, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, and the National Congress of Black Women.
3. Ronell (Ron) Eugene Stallworth: The BlacKkKlansman
In November 1972, Ron Stallworth enrolled in the Colorado Springs Cadet Program, a program which was designed to bring more minorities into the department, he was the first black cadet in the program. Ron knew early on that he wanted to work investigations. At age 22, Stallman became the department’s youngest and first black detective. Stallworth was assigned to the department’s intelligence section. In 1978 he saw a classified ad for the Ku Klux Klan with a PO box. Stallworth, under the guise of being a white man, sent a letter off. A week later, he received a call from local KKK chapter organizer. Stallworth said that we wanted to join the KKK, he was allowed in; he had successfully infiltrated the KKK. However, a huge problem soon became apparent. Since Stallworth was black, he needed to find a white “alter ego” partner; he recruited a fellow white officer, “Chuck”. Stallworth continued to talk to KKK members over the phone, while Chuck attended the in-person meetings for months. As the undercover operation continued, the team helped sabotage cross burnings, expose white supremacists in the military, and combat domestic terrorism. Ron also befriended, and fooled, Grand Wizard David Duke. While, David Duke never uncovered Stallworth’s identity, the investigation ended when the local KKK asked Ron to be their new organizer. Although, he was ready to accept, the chief stopped the investigation, telling Stallworth to stop answering calls, change the undercover phone line number, and to destroy all reports. A major movie about this KKK infiltration – BLACKKKLANSMAN was released in 2018.
There are many more stories of African American’s making contributions to law enforcement. If you find the time, research other influential black law enforcement biographies; you can start here: Macon Bolling Allen, James Wormley Jones, Grace Wilson, Jacob Chestnut, Samuel Battle, Bass Reeves, Georgia Robinson, Alexander Lucius Twilight, Wiley G. Overton, Horatio Julius Homer, and Dr. Louis Tompkins Wright.
